Marketing doesn't get much more grassroots and "viral" than the $300,000 Share Your Washington tourism campaign that kicks off April 18 (to see it, click on the video below the ad at right).

The mostly-online campaign asks Washington residents to invite their friends and family to visit the state, as a way to pump up a hospitality industry bracing for the imminent demise of the state Tourism Office because of budget cuts. Web viewers can click a button to instantly send scenic online postcards to their friends and enter a drawing for prizes from sponsor Alaska Airlines.

Marsha Massey, who directs the soon-to-expire state tourism office, said there could be 20,000 new tourism jobs if each Washington resident got a friend to visit.

"This is saying, 'You can be part of the solution — You can be part of economic development for the state,' " she said.

Tourism officials expect people to see the campaign on Facebook or at www.ShareYourWashington.com, although there are also TV and radio broadcast versions, too.

The new nonprofit Washington Tourism Alliance is working on a plan to take over the ad campaign as well as state's tourism promotion website, www.experiencewa.com, when the tourism office closes June 30.